


Dogs of War

by SivaLoepard



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: A/B/O Verse Technically, Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Implied Bucky/Tony, Implied Knotting, M/M, Military Experimentation, Multi, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Reference to more, Rutting, fantasies, handjobs, implied Steve/Bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-10 03:55:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20521526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SivaLoepard/pseuds/SivaLoepard
Summary: ‘Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war.’ - Shakespeare'sCaesarA very famous quote, often used, often listened to. None quite so literally as the government when one worker heard the line and ran with it, drawing up schematics and biology and everything else needed to splice the DNA of a gray wolf and the DNA of a human. Most thought him mad, except for one Dr. Abraham Erskine.Steve and Bucky sign their souls over to be military lab rats, and everything turns out for the better because of it.





	Dogs of War

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Stars Are Hiding](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8865577) by [superheroresin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/superheroresin/pseuds/superheroresin). 

> Short story? Less than five pages? What's that? Anyways, here is yet another ABO-Verse fic from me! Yay! NN had two chapters done and this popped into my head, so I started it and finished NN. Now this is done and NN has chapter 3 in the works.
> 
> Kind of spun from "Something Wild Calls You Home" with Military Kitty!Bucky and yeah. I figured they needed ears and a tail because that deep dark never grew out of high school part of me demanded it. So I hope you enjoy!

_‘Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war._’ - Shakespeare's _Caesar_

A very famous quote, often used, often listened to. None quite so literally as the government when one worker heard the line and ran with it, drawing up schematics and biology and everything else needed to splice the DNA of a gray wolf and the DNA of a human. Most thought him mad, except for one Dr. Abraham Erskine. He listened to the man's ramblings, and not only did he believe him, he started to help him with his dream! Erskine went to his superiors in the military and told them of the plan, and they nearly tripped over themselves to sign the paperwork to grant him a near unlimited budget to make War Dogs for the military and no one else. He and the other man worked tirelessly, many nights spent without sleep until the simulation ran a perfect match. Now, to start animal trials.

********

Steven Grant Rogers and James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes. Two ordinary men from Brooklyn, who both signed the paperwork to give their very souls to the government. Trial after trial after trial, Barnes succeeded while Rogers… fell a little flat. Barnes was five eight, decently muscular, and in good health despite being a smoker. Rogers was five two, an asthmatic, no real muscle to speak of, no extra weight on him, and without fail came down with a cold or pneumonia every winter.

Barnes was a perfect specimen to test. Rogers was willing, but his body far too weak. Erskine chose to test both. He worked for two weeks more coming up with another serum just for Rogers, something to help him bulk up and survive the testing for the War Dog serum.

Rogers survived the first serum, adding several inches in height and untold inches in muscle. Side by side, they both went under the needle as men and came out as something else. An unforeseen side effect of the serum was the ears and tail of a dog, somehow, and it seemed that the men did not match. Rogers carried the attributes of a golden retriever, long haired and fluffy and flop eared. It made sense, in a way. It matched the man. A person with a rather laid back personality until something angered him paired with a dog who was much the same way. Barnes, on the other hand, found himself likened to a German Shepherd, pointy ears and all. Rogers found this absolutely _delightful_ due to the fact that Barnes’ adoptive parents were originally from Russia, and therefore raised him and his adoptive sister Natasha in as Russian a way as possible.

Then the tests began again. Endurance, stamina, agility; one soldier jokingly set up a dog agility course and nearly found himself minus an arm courtesy of Barnes. Rogers almost laughed himself sick at the joke. On and on the tests went: how much weight the men could carry, how long they could keep pace with vehicles, what temperatures they could endure. Any and all tests they ran were met with outstanding results: basically, anything a standard soldier could do these two could do _better._ Temperatures didn't bother them, extra weight didn't seem to be an issue, and they never seemed to tire. The higher ups in the military shook each others hands and slapped each other on the back, congratulating themselves on a job well done while Dr. Erskine and his friend sat down and had a drink with the two newest recruits. Another unforeseen side effect was that alcohol no longer seemed to affect them. Or, at least, not in the quantities that most humans consumed. To even start a buzz, they would need to down two large bottles of highly alcoholic spirits. It was more symbolic when they joined Dr. Erskine and his friend. They made it a small party among themselves, the government military workers and the lab rats. It lasted well into the night. Erskine personally didn't remember much the next day. Barnes and Rogers did, but were polite enough to keep the secret. Soon enough, they were being sent on missions. 

The higher ups in the military were wise enough to keep the men as a pair instead of separating them. After two months, someone tried to bunk them in different rooms only to find a Rogers shaped hole in the door to Barnes' room the next day, both men comfortably curled around each other on one of the two provided beds. A new rule was placed: they would bunk in the same room, no matter what. No one was willing to foot the bill when Rogers’ separation anxiety kicked in, and no one had size enough to physically stop his six foot two, two hundred and forty pound frame from going where it damn well pleased. Six months after the Hotel Incident (as it was later dubbed), and the men found themselves working with a Lt. Col. James Rhodes most often in a security position. He was a very important man, and therefore had certainly made many enemies. More so than that was the fact of who he had befriended: one Anthony Edward Stark, sole heir of the Stark fortune and CEO-to-be of Stark Industries, biggest weapons manufacturer in the world. Until his parents took a nosedive off a cliff and left him solely in charge of everything at twenty-three.

One of the first things he did was hire a secretary, Ms. Virginia “Pepper” Potts, to help with the day to day operations of the company. And then turned the world on its ear when he said, in no uncertain terms during his very first press conference as owner of SI, that the company would change from weapons to clean energy. Stock fell overnight, and the company nearly went under. But somehow, they survived. And Anthony “Tony” Stark made the switch in the company first from fossil fuels to an arc reactor. It was soon found that not only did the company no longer have any emissions, but everything seemed to run _faster_ and _better_ than anywhere else.

So naturally, having been friends with Mr. Stark since he was in college (at seventeen, thank you very much) painted a very large target on his back. What better way to get to Stark than his best friend? But if any of the mercenaries sent to “collect” him had been around, they could testify that it would be so _easy_ to get him, if not for the damn guard dogs posted outside his door! Except every single one of the mercenaries was met with a pair of glowing eyes, a mouthful of snarling teeth, and a quickly broken neck. One night found them with five bodies to dispose of the next day, stacked high in front of Rhodes’ door with Rogers next to it, tail wagging side to side with joy as he waited for Rhodes to praise him.

Four months after SI went clean, and Tony was making even bigger deals than he had been with weapons. Multiple companies around the world wanted his tech in one form or another whether it was their own arc reactor or the very proper sounding AI that ran his building. So Tony traveled around the world as needed, signing papers with international bigwigs and making money hand over fist. He even found time to be with his best friend whenever he could, and finally got to meet the top secret government project of Barnes and Rogers. It…almost didn't go well.

Tony tried to simply walk into Rhodey's room as he had always done, buried in his phone, and didn't notice the very large man standing further in the entryway until he heard the growl. He proceeded to scream like a girl, teasing a smile out of the other man, and yelled for his friend to “Come get your guard dog dammit!” He had heard the rumors, naturally, that Rhodey had human guards everywhere he went and that they supposedly were part wolf or some such thing, but he never put much stock in it until he saw Barnes for himself, five eleven standing at attention and six two with his ears upright, arms crossed and growling at him. Honestly, anyone who wasn't expecting it would have screamed. Barnes had even made a game of spooking Rogers every chance he got. (Spoiler: he got him at least twice a day, much to his own amusement.) Rhodes came hurrying out of his own room, wrapped only in a towel since he was fresh out of a shower.

“Bucky! At ease!” The large man took one last look at Tony before stepping back and to the side, leaving Rhodes open to wave his friend into the room. “Sorry, Tones, I wasn't expecting a visitor.” Tony waved him off, spouting something about “Well we know they're earning their keep” as he hugged the darker man. After a long moment they separated, and Rhodes threw an arm over Tony's shoulders to lead him back into the bedroom. “He's a guest and a friend, Bucky. He has full access. Tell Steve I said so.” Barnes’ ears laid back, but he managed not to growl at his handler. “Clearance level Alpha. Leave off Barnes.” Bucky took a step back, ducking his head at the command to show he heard. His ears didn't leave his scalp, even after Rhodes’ door closed and their conversation was cut off. Thirty minutes later, Rogers returned from walking the perimeter and the entirety of the building to find Bucky seated cross legged three feet from Rhodes’ closed door, ears perched forward to listen to their “private” conversation. Steve paused, tilting his head in a manner like most dogs, then walked forward and sat down next to Barnes.

“Company?” His own ears perked up, still flopped over themselves above his head, as he heard a new voice.

“Tony Stark. Alpha clearance. Shh.” Both men shushed, listening as Tony told Rhodey (Honeybear, Graham cracker, love of my life, anything but his actual name) about some new merger he was travelling to somewhere in the middle east, and how he envied Rhodey for his traveling companions when Tony had none and why couldn't his sourpatch share just this one time “It's not like you really need _both_ of them hon, Barnes is plenty enough on his own.” Everything fell silent for a moment, until Rhodey asked Tony if he would like to borrow one of them. Very, _very_ quietly (so quietly both men had to lean to even somewhat hear) Tony replied “Yes please.” Barnes turned to Rogers, his ears falling down to lay on his head.

“You gonna be okay if we split up?” Rogers sat stock still for a long moment, then nodded.

“Yeah. I'll go with him, you stay here with Rhodes. I won't freak as bad if I know you're with him. And we can video call, if you want.” Without looking, Rogers’ hand found Barnes’. They both knew that Rogers would need the video calls more, but neither said anything. They continued to sit there for ten minutes more, fingers linked, as Rhodes and Tony talked about mindless things: the latest invention Tony was working on, how Pepper was going, if Happy was behaving himself.

When the door unlocked Barnes and Rogers quickly stood, taking a couple steps back as they did, before the door opened to let Rhodes out first. He looked at Bucky, then Steve, then stood guard as Tony walked slowly out.

“Alpha level clearance. He's a guest and a _friend_, and if I hear you two snapping at him, it's gonna be a bad time. Understood?” Both men nodded, and Rhodes let Tony pass to walk into the living room. “Hey Bucky, how about some dinner? Steve made his rounds earlier, yeah? Your turn to get some chow. You pick.” The brunette dutifully bobbed his head, pressed his cheek firmly to Steve’s for a moment, then walked out the door to go get dinner for the group. Steve watched him until the doors closed and then turned to follow Rhodes and Stark into the living room. Rhodes took the corner seat on the sofa, as usual, and Tony managed to sprawl his form clear across the rest of the couch to press his feet into his best friends lap. Steve took the armchair, big and squishy and just for him, and kept an observant eye on the smaller man. He must have felt Steve's gaze, for he quickly turned his attention to the blonde. 

“Tony Stark.” He offered a hand for the man to shake, and when Steve did, he politely didn't make a joke like Steve was expecting him to. “Heard about you guys, you know. Dad helped fund the whole thing. Far as I knew it never happened, since only the two of you went under the needle. What, run out of super juice?” The darker haired man chuckled, and Steve smiled politely.

“Classified information, Sir. Even if I knew, I wouldn't be allowed to tell.” He kept his back ramrod straight as he sat there, watching Rhodes and his friend argue over what to watch on TV. Tony was all for binging Star Wars for the umpteenth time (Steve and Bucky have _never seen them_, Rhodey! We have to fix that!) while Rhodes had control of the remote and was insisting on watching some mindless reality TV before he had dinner and crashed for the night. Tony pulled his feet out of Rhodes’ lap and sat up, listing off facts as to _why_ they should watch Star Wars instead of Big Brother or Jersey Shore or what the fuck ever. When Rhodes simply held the remote in his far hand, then reached as far past the arm of the couch as he could, Tony decided to act like a child as well and went diving after it, climbing into Rhodes’ lap before grabbing his arm so he couldn't move it away and reaching. It all happened within a second or two, and as soon as Stark was in Rhodes’ lap, Steve was on his feet and _growling_, ears laid back and lips curled to show sharp teeth, four fangs on top coated in metal for reasons known only to the government. Tony froze, not wanting to give the man reason to attack, but not wanting to bolt and have Steve give chase. Rhodes slowly brought his hand back, then gently shifted Tony off of his lap. Tony kept his hands up, where Steve and James could both see them, then gently set one foot on the floor to keep his body language open. Rhodes carefully stood, wisely not stepping between Steve and Tony as he stepped closer to the blonde.

“Easy, Steve. He didn't mean anything by it. Everyone's okay. Nobody is hurt. He didn't mean it. Calm down bud.” Steve kept his gaze on Tony, his lips slowly lowering to cover his deadly teeth. His ears stayed laid back even as he turned to Rhodes to check him over and confirm that Tony hadn't hurt him. “He didn't think, Steve. It happens. He didn't mean anything, he was playing. Like you and Bucky do. Now. Stand down.” Steve jerked his eyes from Tony back to Rhodes, his mouth opening to voice a complaint but Rhodes cut him off with a hand. “No. I'm not listening to it. Now sit down Steve.” Steve's ears laid back again.

“But-”

“Sit, Steve.”

“Sir-”

“Sit.”

“James-”

“SIT!”

Steve sat. Tony barely got away in time. Tony knew better than to crack a joke about Steve's training. Rhodes turned his gaze to the brunette, one eyebrow slowly raising. One hand came up and Rhodes pointed to Steve's lap. Tony wisely didn't say a word as he scooted slowly into Steve's lap like the blond was a mall Santa and he was the next child in line. Rhodes only nodded, then sat in the armchair. Steve couldn't help but notice how Tony smelled: coffee, metal, oil, and something...sweet? He stopped himself from pressing his nose behind Tony's ear to get a better whiff, and shifted around some to better accommodate the weight on his lap. Tony made a small sound, but stayed put as Steve moved about until the blond had his legs stretched comfortably out in front of himself, Tony's legs laying on them, and was half slouched into the cushions. Rhodes turned on the TV, and found a list of shows to watch, but politely let Tony pick which one in a decent compromise. Twenty minutes later, when Bucky returned with enough Chinese food to feed an army, he saw the picture spread out in the living room and opened his mouth to ask what happened. Rhodes looked back at him, that one eyebrow coming up in his own silent question, and Bucky wisely shut his mouth as he brought the food into the living room to spread out the feast.

“Thought you weren't expecting company Rhodey-hon?” Tony asked as he was passed a container of fried rice, followed by egg drop soup.

“Just us till we leave Tone. Why?” Rhodes accepted a box of lo mein and a box of orange chicken, then some soy sauce and a fork. Tony simply waved at the multitude of boxes littering the coffee table, then grabbed his own fork.

“‘S for me and Bucky. We ate like pigs before we went under the needle, eat twice as much now. Wolf DNA or some shit. ‘M worse than he is.” Steve already had his mouth stuffed full, using his chopsticks to point at Bucky. He swallowed, then ruined the progress by taking a bite of a spring roll before he opened his mouth again. “Whatever they gave me to make me healthier made me need six thousand calories a day or some shit to survive. Add in that wolves can binge eat twenty plus pounds when they need to and it takes a lot of food to keep us fed.” Bucky flopped down next to Steve and Tony on the couch, his own box of broccoli beef already half empty. He quickly sniped a bite of Angus beef from Steve and the blonde snarled, snapping at the wood that neared his food. Tony yelped and almost fell out of his lap, while Rhodes heaved a sigh and Bucky laughed.

“Calm down, punk. Plenty to go around.” He offered a bite of broccoli to the blond, and Steve huffed before biting down on it to take it, his temper soothed. He dug back into his own food, and the only sound for several minutes was chewing and tail wagging. Tony was slowly working his way through the soup when he felt something nudge his hand. He turned to look and saw Steve offering him the last spring roll. Tony looked from the roll to the man, one eyebrow raising. He wasn't stupid enough to take food from an aggressive man-animal. Steve shrugged and offered it again, and so Tony took it. Maybe it was Steve's way to apologize for his earlier actions, Tony figured, then took a bite and smiled at the blonde. Steve smiled back, then tucked into a container of shrimp something, nearly snapping Bucky's chopsticks in half when the brunette reached for another bite.

When ninety percent of the food had been eaten, and the leftovers packed away by Rhodes, all the men found themselves lounging in the living room. Rhodes kept the chair, Bucky and Steve split the couch, and Tony hadn't dared move from Steve's lap. Now though, he had turned himself sideways in the blonde man’s lap, stretching his legs across the couch to put his feet gently into Bucky's lap at Steve's insistence. After a moment, Bucky started to gently rub the smaller man's feet without being asked and Tony melted further into Steve's chest. Slowly, carefully, Steve gently looped his arms around Tony's waist to keep him steady as they continued to watch some house makeover show on TV. If Rhodes or Bucky noticed him smiling like an idiot, well, neither of them made mention of it. 

***********

Later that night, Rhodey was getting ready for bed. Tony was already dressed in pajama pants and one of Rhodes’ shirts, sitting on the bed. It wasn't the first time they'd platonically shared a bed, and Rhodey sure as hell wasn't going to leave Tony to sleep with Barnes and Rogers. Rhodey himself was in the bathroom, washing his face and brushing his teeth before bed. He left the door open so he and Tony could talk.

“So do you want Rogers or Barnes Tony?” Rhodes ran the towel over his face to dry off before grabbing his toothbrush.

“Barnes looks like he wants to eat me, and not in a good way. But Rogers about killed me when you and I were wrestling earlier.” One of his shoulders came up, then dropped down. “I'd prefer neither, so that I won't wake up without a throat.” Rhodes spat his mouthful of foam into the sink, then stuck his head out the door and pointed his toothbrush at Tony.

“Tony, I don't care if this guy has been a customer since the beginning of SI. You are _not_ going by yourself to make a business deal. Who knows what'll happen? You might get kidnapped or something. Blown up. I dunno.” He ducked back into the bathroom to rinse his mouth out.

“Blown up by what? My own missile? That'd be some great karma. It would literally _have my name on it_. Blown up, kidnapped, hooked up to a car battery because why not? How long would I be a prisoner for? Couple weeks or a few months?” Tony barked out a laugh as Rhodey walked out in his own sleep pants and t-shirt. He levelled a glare at Tony.

“Knowing you, about three days before they shoved you into the desert since your mouth wouldn't stop running.” He shoved Tony aside with ease, then sat down on the bed. “It'd take a few days for me to find you, since no one else would notice you missing. You'd probably crack some lame ass joke and then want to stop for burgers on the way back.” They both fell silent, and Rhodes shifted to move the blanket so he could slide under it. Tony looked away, his throat working silently. “Take Rogers, Tones. Please? It'll give me peace of mind, since not a lot of anyone can make it past him.” Maybe it was the quiet tone, maybe it was the note of plea, maybe Tony just wanted to make the other man shut up. But Tony found himself nodding, agreeing with Rhodes. “Let me know how long it's gonna take, okay? He and Barnes don't do well with separation.”

“I'll give them both a StarkPhone. They can video call to their heart's content. I shouldn't have Rogers for more than a week or two.” Rhodes nodded, then covered a yawn. “It's a new business partner, so I know already he's gonna go out of his way to show me how rich he is and how much he wants to be a business under SI.” The two men lay back to back under the covers, but Rhodes knew that he would wake up to Octo-Tony in the morning. The smaller man would wrap around _anything_ caught in the bed with him. Usually the man kept a small mountain of pillows, and heaven forbid he have a bed partner. “‘Night Rhodey. Sleep tight.”

“‘Night Tones. Sleep tight.”

**************

“Hey there Stevie, settling in well?” Steve ducked his head to hide a shy smile, even though the other man wouldn't see, then nodded.

“Yeah, settling in fine. I...I think I got my days a little wonky though. I uh... I'm starting a rut.” His cheeks flared red and he ducked his head again, hiding the blush from Bucky. The brunette covered a smile of his own, and adjusted the phone between his shoulder and ear.

“Is _that_ why you were so ready to jetting off with Stark? Didn't trust me during another one?” In all honesty, Steve _only_ trusted Bucky during his ruts that happened every other month. Even Rhodey knew to give them a room for a week and let them, well, rut it out. During his previous one, Steve had managed six rounds in a single sitting, and Bucky hadn't spoken up _once_ that he had been sore since round three. Steve had pouted for several days after, until Bucky pinned him down and showed him what six rounds felt like as a bottom, and Steve completely understood why he kept quiet. The small sparks of pain simply highlighted the pleasure, rocketing him higher and higher before he came so hard he nearly went cross eyed. Steve's cheeks reddened again, and Bucky could almost hear it happen. “You gonna be okay Stevie?” His voice was soft, and Steve knew he was honestly asking. The blond bobbed his head up and down, then remembered “Bucky can't see me!” before replying a soft “yes”. He ran one hand up and down his thigh, wondering how best to tell his lover his thought.

“I...I kind of wanted to ask Tony to help me through it, maybe.” Well, blunt honesty always worked pretty well in the past. Steve hurried on before Bucky could talk. “He was in my lap at Rhodes’, remember? And I couldn't help but smell him. Bucky, he smelled _so good_. Coffee, metal, machine oil somehow, and just a hint of sweet.” _Like the pop of fresh fruit on that first bite, before it coats your tongue in flavor_, his mind helpfully supplied. He couldn't help but admit it was right. “‘M sorry Buck.” His voice was soft, pleading, and he didn't know if he was apologizing for it or asking permission. Bucky's end was silent for a long moment, and Steve wondered if the man had hung up. “Buck?” he ventured. 

“_Think he could take a knot?_” Bucky's voice was a rough growl, and Steve nearly whined at the picture it summoned. Bucky only ever got that growly voice when he was getting close to climaxing. Between that and Buck's words, Steve didn't know which to concentrate on. “I know I'm not there to help you out, Stevie, but do you think he would be able to? We both know he'd be willing enough.” And there was a picture for Steve: sitting on the edge of his bed, the couch, maybe even the armchair he had seen in the opulent living room as Tony bounced up and down in his lap, Steve's sheer size spreading him wide. Steve covered a whine, palming his half hard cock.

“Buck, come on. Don't tease.” He couldn't help the huff in his voice. “I need help with my ruts and he's here. It’s opportunity, not much choice.” Another picture came to him: Tony, flat on his back on a bed. Legs shoved up so his knees nearly touched his chest as Steve fucked into him, deep, hard thrusts that made the whole bed shift with each rock of his hips. And oh, the _sounds_ Tony was making! Soft, pleading cries, _begging_ Steve each time his knot caught on the rim of his hole to “Please, please, need your knot, please let me have it!” Steve palmed his cock again, tuning back in to Bucky in time to hear him cover a soft hiss. “Bucky? You alright?” The last thing Steve wanted was Bucky in pain.

“How many knots d'ya think he'd take? Would he need a break between or would you just keep going like you do to me?” _Fuck_, Bucky was such a goddamn tease. “You know how I beg for it Stevie. Think he’d do the same? I bet he’d last three rounds, maybe four if you skipped one.” Hell, Steve could picture it easy. Going by the sounds he was making, Bucky was _enthusiastically_ picturing it too. Steve whined, softly, his free hand going to unbutton and unzip his pants. His own cock sprang free so fast Steve almost heard a comical “Boing!” sound with it. He managed not to laugh as he wrapped his hand around it. Between the super serum and the dog serum they dosed him with he definitely was larger than he was before. Add in that the dog shots apparently gave him and Bucky knots like said animal, and he and Bucky had tested it for _hours_ before. He half wondered if a normal person would be able to take a knot. He almost didn't hear Bucky groaning in his ear. "Steve, _Stevie, fuck_, how tight is he?" Steve’s fist tightened on his cock before he could stop himself.

“Like a goddamn vise, Buck.” He could feel his orgasm careening ever closer, the knot at the base of his cock already starting to swell. Without pausing to think about it, his hand tightened again as he imagined thrusting into Tony, sating his own needs first before taking care of the brunette. He faintly heard Bucky gasping for breath as his own release caught up to him, panting out Steve's name as he came. The blonde pictured him with ease, laying on his back, fully nude, stomach lined with his release. Steve's own climax slammed into him at the picture, and he painted his own stomach with white lines. In the back of his mind, he praised himself for taking his shirt off before he called Bucky. He lay there, basking in the afterglow for several long minutes, listening to his lover pant over the line.

"Go ahead, Stevie. If he'll have ya, go right on ahead. Hell, maybe we can share when you make it back." Steve muffled a whine into his forearm, another picture popping up in great detail in his mind: Tony's mouth like hot velvet around him as Bucky thrust into Tony's hole. Dear gods, he was starting to get hard again _already_. Damn ruts. “Stay safe over there, yeah? Call me when you can.” Steve bade the other man goodbye, smooched a kiss over the phone, and ended the call. He might have time for one more round before Tony got back from his first meeting. The smaller man had insisted that for this one, he had to be by himself. The owner of the company was in his sixties, graying hair, thick glasses, and a bad hip. There was no chance of anything happening to Tony while he visited with Mr. Daybies. Besides, Tony almost made him go deaf hollering about “You’re a secret government project Steve! This guy is interested in clean energy right now, but if he gets his hands on you it’ll be game over! Tests and tests and more tests to figure out the super juice to make his own supreme army!” Okay, so maybe Tony had watched a few too many “Evil Scientist” movies on the flight over, but Steve was polite and chose to stay.

Just as he was pulling up that imagery of Bucky and Tony having some fun while he watched, there was a knock on his door. He couldn't quite smother the yelping sound he made, but he _was_ able to make himself presentable before walking over and opening the door. He slipped on a shirt right before turning the knob, and the first thing that greeted him was the smell of food. The next thing he noticed was Tony, looking a little more rumpled than he had before he left. Steve’s nose twitched at the scent the other man was unknowingly putting off. He managed to stop himself from leaning in and getting a better whiff.

“Hey Steve, stopped for food on the way back. I didn’t know what you’d like, so I just bought one of everything.” Tony turned on his heel and was walking back to the living room area (because of course he was given the best suite they had at the hotel), talking a mile a minute about how they usually offered some kind of cut of beef but were out this time and that he promised he’d go back and get some for Steve because “I know you need the calories”. Steve was only partly listening as Tony unpacked box after box of barbecue style beef, pork, chicken, and even fish. Tony then ventured to the cabinet to fetch a plate, then to a drawer for cutlery and Steve noticed that the brunette had stopped talking. “Sit down, will ya? You’re making me tired looking at you.” Steve glanced up to see Tony off another tangent about how barbecue varied from country to country, and none more so than in the states. Steve sat, watching patiently as Tony flitted about like a hummingbird on speed, taking a few pieces of this and a couple of pieces of that to stack on the plate, then set it _next_ to Steve and sat down. Steve glanced at the empty place in front of himself and managed to stop himself from whining. Tony caught him staring and rolled his eyes, called Steve “a silly fluff brain” and then leaned up to grab the nearest take out box to set it in front of Steve. “Few thousand calories a day, right? The rest is for you. I’ve got my share.”

Here Tony pointed to his own plate, picking his fork up again to start eating. Steve felt a warm rush of _something_ at the mention that Tony remembered his dietary needs. Quickly following was a rush of _lust_ as his hormones swamped him again. Steve took hold of the other fork and dug in. For several minutes the only sounds were chewing, the sound of Steve’s tail sliding back and forth on the couch, and the squeak of styrofoam as Steve emptied a couple of containers and set them aside. Tony lifted a brow, slowly lifting another bite to his mouth.

“You _are_ making sure to chew, right? I don’t know that my arms could fit around you to do the heimlich.” Steve swallowed his bite and covered a laugh.

“I’m _fine_, Tony. Promise.” He finished off a fourth container and set it aside, reaching for number five. Now that he wasn’t starving, he could slow down a little.

“So how exactly did the serums change you?” Steve nearly choked on a bite of food, but thankfully it cleared. His cheeks bloomed red.

“Can I ask why you’re asking?” He poked around a little in his food, as if digging for a specific bite. He hoped Tony wouldn't notice him stalling. Tony finished his own bite before setting down his fork.

“Because my dad spent a _lot_ of money on some secret government project that I wasn’t supposed to know anything about. But dear old dad liked his bourbon and when he drank he would brag. So I got to hear all about this five foot nothing scrawny little punk that he personally made into some kind of war hero from the way he told it. I mostly cared about how someone could go from five feet and half dead, no offense, to six four and...beefcake.” It was Tony's turn to stall for time and shuffle his food around, looking anywhere but at Steve. "Felt like I was never gonna measure up, you know?" Steve felt a surge of anger towards Stark Senior, then a wave of sadness at the picture Tony made. Steve cleared his throat. 

"Well, aside from the obvious, I put on about a foot and a half in height, packed on about a hundred and fifty pounds of muscle, heart condition cleared up, asthma gone, spine straightened out. Stamina skyrocketed. Me and Bucky both." And here Steve pictured Tony surviving round after round with Steve, stamina never dropping as they kept on. The blond covered a cough and discreetly shuffled around before taking a bite of food. “Reflexes are faster, I don’t get tired nearly as fast as other soldiers. This is gonna sound mean, but I’m pretty sure they made me and Buck into peak humans. Not much better than us, you know?” Tony nodded, then shuffled his food around a little more before setting his plate aside.

"Any other biological advantages or just an improvement of what was already there?" Steve smothered a laugh.

“Are you asking what I think you’re asking?” The blond finished the container he was on and set it aside, but didn’t yet reach for another. When Tony remained quiet, Steve glanced at him. “If you’re asking about my dick then just say so. There’s no such thing as privacy in the military.” He wasn’t sure where _that_ had come from, but now that it was out there he wasn’t going to take it back. He saw just a light dusting of color coat Tony’s cheeks.

“Kinda wonder how I measure up to human perfection, a little.” Steve stayed still for a moment.

“That’s not a no.” He inched closer to the brunette, his nose twitching at the new scent Tony was putting off. Underlying the coffee and hint of metal and the sweet tones, a slightly darker earthy scent greeted him. He itched to bury his nose behind Tony’s ear and scent him deeper, see how many other smells the other man was hiding. “I need a plain yes or no Tony, otherwise I’m going to go with yes and we might both regret it.” He gave in to the urge and gently pressed his nose to the little spot behind the other man’s ear, inhaling deeply. Tony inhaled on a gasp and managed to whisper a quiet “Yes”. Steve wasted no time in shuffling them around so the brunette was straddling his lap. He kept his nose buried in that spot.

“Steve, tell me. What did the serum change?” Tony Stark didn’t beg. He never had and he probably never would. But he would never admit that his words came out with a slight whine to them. Steve covered a grin and curled his hands around Tony’s hips to drag the brunette down, grinding their groins together. They both let loose with soft sounds, and Tony pressed himself more firmly into Steve’s grip in a silent plea for more as he gasped out what sounded like “Big.”

“Stamina went up. I can go for _hours_ without a break. Thank god Bucky can too.” No one but Steve would know about the tight whine Tony let out at the words. “Something about the wolf DNA with mine made my hormones go out of whack.” The more Steve pressed his nose to Tony’s neck, the more delicious smell the brunette put off. “Every other month or so I go into rut. Surprised I _ever_ get soft. I’d love to get a hand.” Okay, so it wasn’t the best line he’d ever used. Most of those belonged to Bucky. Steve was not the smooth talker in that relationship.

“Fuck, Steve, how big were you before?” Tony was rocking his hips now, grinding down on the blonde’s lap to make him growl softly. “No, nevermind, why are you still wearing _pants_?” Another growl and Steve was shoving the brunette’s hands out of the way to unbutton and unzip his jeans to free his cock. Steve’s teeth connected on Tony’s neck as the brunette’s hands circled his cock again. Another quiet gasp and Steve made a very content sounding noise.

“You smell amazing, you taste even better, and god Tony, your hands are _fantastic_.”

“Always been good with my hands.” He twisted his wrist at the top and Steve’s vision blurred for a moment. He quickly directed his hands to Tony’s pants, and in a quick movement had the brunette’s cock out as well. Steve’s hand was large enough to wrap around both of them and start stroking. Tony let out an embarrassing sound and pressed his mouth to Steve’s neck to try and muffle it. 

“I’d love to get my mouth on you Tony. Bet you taste so sweet.” It was here that Steve knew how to sweet talk. The words came easily to him, whether he wanted them to or not. “Could lick you open, take my time with it, make you all loose and needy. Ready for me.” Steve’s hand tightened, slowed down. Tony’s hips bucked up to meet his hand. Steve only chuckled at him. “Easy, sugar, we’ll get there.” He could feel the knot at the base of his cock starting to swell already. “Bucky wants to share you too. God, just thinking about it drives me insane. Watching you two would be like a dream come true.” He tucked his nose into that spot behind Tony’s ear again, inhaling deeply before gently laving his tongue over the spot. “We’d have to pick who could have you first.” The blonde’s voice wasn’t much more than a low rumble, and Tony gasped out a whine.

“M-maybe both at once. Tried it before, wasn’t too bad.” The picture _that_ gave Steve was the final straw. His teeth connected on Tony’s neck as his hand tightened and jerked down. He couldn’t help the growl that sounded as he came. Tony’s hand followed his, and the brunette gasped out a sound when he felt Steve’s knot, then his own climax hit him. Several long moments passed as both men found their breath again, and Steve was the first to sit up. He looked at Tony, then gently placed both hands on his sides to check him over and make sure he was okay.

“Didn’t mean to get quite so rough with you Tony.” He had to stop himself from rumbling at the sight of his marks on the smaller man’s neck though. “Should’ve gone a little slower.” Tony made some sort of sound, but Steve couldn’t figure out what it was meant to be.

“Had worse. No problem.” Tony managed to sit up as well, with only a little help from Steve, and looked around. Once he found his bearings, he stood from Steve’s lap and tucked himself back into his pants before buttoning and zipping them. “‘M gonna head to bed. Long day. Another long day tomorrow. Good night.” Steve barely had time to say “Good night” back before Tony’s door was gently clicking shut. The blonde sat there for a minute, wondering where in the hell he went wrong.

*******************

For the next three days, Steve had no choice but to stay at the hotel while his rut ran its course. He knew that if he went with Tony to visit with Mr. Daybies he would be aggressive towards the man and it wouldn’t end well for Tony. Tony, meanwhile, took every opportunity he could to stay _out_ of the hotel. Steve saw him a total of three times over the next three days. The first time, Tony had passed out at the kitchen counter at four AM, waiting for coffee to brew. Steve politely shut the machine off and carried Tony to his bed. It took all of his willpower to walk away instead of sliding in next to him.

The second time he passed Tony in the hall to the bedrooms as Tony was leaving and Steve was heading for a shower. The smaller man looked exhausted. Steve tried to catch Tony with a hand on his arm but Tony managed to weave around him and continued to the front door.

The third time, Steve heard a sound around midnight or one in the morning the night before he and Tony were due to travel back to the states. Steve’s rut had finally passed through his system, and he was grateful for the fact that his hormones were finally level again. He heard the TV in the living room turn on and slipped out of bed to investigate. He found Tony sprawled on the couch, some infomercial for an electric pressure cooker playing with muted sound. Somehow, Tony looked even worse than he had the last time Steve saw him. His hair looked worse than a bird’s nest, his suit was wrinkled, and the bags under his eyes had bags. Steve felt terrible, and blamed himself for how Tony looked. He cleared his throat, not wanting to spook the other man. Tony shifted a little, showing he heard, but otherwise didn’t move. Steve ventured closer and sat down on the far end of the couch.

“Hey Tony. Been busy?” The brunette lifted one shoulder, then let it drop. Silence grew between them, and Steve tried to think of something to say. Just as he opened his mouth, Tony spoke first.

“I’m sorry.” Steve quickly shut his mouth and listened. “I’m sorry for how I acted and I’m sorry for making you do that. I took advantage of you when you weren’t in a right state of mind and I was selfish for it. I’m sorry.” Tony looked absolutely heartbroken. Steve felt an overwhelming urge to bundle the man up in his arms and never let go. He moved to the middle cushion and made sure Tony could see him.

“I’m not mad Tony. If I didn’t want any of that I would have told you no, or walked away. I told you Bucky’s interested too. Why would I lie about that?” Steve felt his heart break a little when one shoulder came up and then dropped down.

“Not the first time someone tricked me into bed to get what they wanted.” That one sentence spoke of such sadness and heartbreak that Steve wanted to go back in time and hurt whoever did it.

“Tony, honey, look at me. I’m not lying when I say I think you’re gorgeous. No, you don’t look like Bucky. But honey, the differences between you make it so much better. The whole time you were avoiding me during my rut? All I thought of was me and you, or you and Bucky, or me and you and Bucky. I think I nearly pulled something coming that hard. It’s not just for show. It’s not to get something out of it, unless that something is you. All I’m asking is that you give me, give _us_, a chance. Please Tony.” Steve held out one hand towards the brunette and didn’t move. Tony looked at it, then looked to Steve.

“And if I don’t?” The words were so quiet Steve was lucky to hear them.

“Then I won’t bother you again. We will stay professional about this, I promise.” Steve moved his hand a little closer, and could have howled for joy when Tony slipped his hand into it. The blonde wasted no time in bundling the smaller man into his lap and wrapping his arms around Tony. Steve pressed his nose to that little spot behind Tony’s ear and inhaled, finally relaxing for the first time in days. “Try to get some rest. We have a flight in the morning.” Steve had barely finished the sentence before he heard soft snoring; apparently Tony was so stressed out as well he hadn’t been sleeping, but now that the stress was gone, he dropped right off. Steve covered a grin and stretched himself out on the couch, Tony on top of him, and closed his eyes to get some sleep as well.

****************

Steve and Tony barely made it into Rhodes’ door before Steve was being pulled into Bucky’s arms. Tony was a little surprised that they didn’t start a tornado with how fast their tails were wagging. He dropped his luggage inside the front room and started to look for Rhodey. Two sets of hands landed on his shoulders before he could.

“Hey Tony, c’mere a minute.” The brunette managed to smother a yelp when a cold nose pressed into his neck. The relationship between him and Steve was still fragile, still new, and Tony really didn’t want to ruin it. But somehow Steve’s nose was always cold at the very tip and his favorite thing to do was to nudge it into Tony’s neck at every opportunity. He felt the same sensation on the other side, without the shock of cold this time, and went still.

“You’re right Stevie, he _does_ smell good.” Tony felt his cheeks warm, but knew that there wouldn’t be color to match. “Sorry Tony, couldn’t resist. Stevie hasn’t shut up about how you smell so good and you’re so soft to lay with and everything else and I got a little jealous.” Two arms circled around his middle and he guessed that Steve and Bucky were both wrapping around him. In that moment, he knew he was safe.

“C’mon Tony. Let’s let Rhodes know you’re back and we can find some lunch.” Tony smothered a laugh and wiggled out from between them.

“It’s all about food and sex with you, isn’t it Rogers?” Teasing was something Tony knew intimately. Teasing meant he didn’t have to show his true self and be hurt for it. Steve, unfortunately, saw right through the act and covered a grin before smiling.

“Yeah, sorry. Only two moods I have are hungry and horny. Hey, now Bucky can take breaks and you can help out instead. I’m very generous in bed Tony.” He knew Steve was grinning and so it had to be Bucky that was growling softly. “Or I could be the one running errands while you and Bucky take some time to get to know each other.” The smaller brunette paused, halfway in the doorway.

“Or we could make Rhodey run all the errands since he’s the big bad Air Force man working for the government and we three could take some time off.” Tony turned to look at them and shrank a little. “If that’s an option?” His voice was soft, and Steve bolted forward to scoop him up in a hug.

“Sounds like a fine plan to me. Let’s go tell him about our plan.” Steve was grinning ear to ear as he carried Tony into the next room, Bucky right behind him complaining about “You can’t hog him forever Stevie! We both know he’ll like me more!” and Tony laughed out loud at that, but didn’t correct him. He thought maybe, just maybe, he could find it in himself to bring himself to love them both equally.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed it! I'm not going to promise any more on this story, but I'm also going to say don't be surprised if I sneak in another chapter. I don't write short stories, and it's rare I write a single chapter. Kudos and comments keep me going! Thank you!


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